Will has been working hard in Springfield to push forward legislation tackling issues faced by members of the 39th District and residents of Illinois. Click on the topics to see more in depth what he's been doing.

Education

Primary sponsor on HB 306: Fought for more teaching and less testing by championing and moving legislation
out of the house that would allow parents to opt their children out of high-stakes standardized testing. This bill
also pushes back against the “sit and stare” policy that students are made to do if they opt-out for any reason.
Under this bill, students would instead receive meaningful instructional time. (Passed the House, awaiting
Senate action.)

Co-sponsor of HB 397: Constrains the power of the Illinois Charter Commission, a state agency that can
currently override local districts’ decisions to reject new charter schools and force those districts to allow the
charter instead. Ensures that taxpayer dollars go to neighborhood public schools before unwanted charters.
(Passed the House, awaiting Senate action.)

Workers' Rights

Primary sponsor of HB 432: Filed legislation that would extend overtime protections to more working people
in Illinois. Stopped pursuing the legislation after the US Department of Labor announced that it would take a
similar action nationwide.

Primary sponsor of HB 3554: Pushed for fair scheduling practices that would protect low-wage workers from
“flexploitation” such as being scheduled for unreasonably short shifts, being forced to work multiple nonconsecutive
shifts
in
a
day,
or
receiving
unreasonably
short
notice
of
schedules
or
schedule
changes.
(Awaiting
action.)

Chief co-sponsor of HB 3297: Fought to extend paid sick leave protections to all working people in Illinois
and prohibit retaliation by employers. (Awaiting action.)

Women's Rights

Chief co-sponsor of SB 1564: Guarantees women’s access to health care by ensuring that if a medical
professional refuses to provide certain services for religious reasons, that professional must direct his
patient to a provider who does offer such care. (Passed the Senate, awaiting House action.)

Economy

Co-sponsor of HJRCA 8: Demanded the very wealthy pay their fair share with this constitutional
amendment to create a progressive income tax to fund our state’s priorities. (Awaiting action.) Consistent
champion for a holistic state budget that fully funds vital services for working families, the poor, the elderly,
and people with disabilities.

Primary sponsor of HB 3830: Proposed an overhaul of the laws governing cooperatively-owned businesses
(co-ops) in the state of Illinois to enable worker-owned businesses to grow and gain access to capital.
(Awaiting action.)

Justice System

Chief co-sponsor of SB 1560: Demanded justice for juvenile offenders by decreasing the duration of their
incarceration and post-release supervision.This overhaul of the juvenile justice system will ensure more young
people get services, education, and care rather than simply getting locked up.
(On the Governor’s desk.)

Chief co-sponsor of HB 494: Helped former offenders find work by reducing automatic barriers to employment for
non-violent offenders in schools. This will give school officials discretion to hire those former offenders who are
ready for work, greatly decreasing their likelihood to recidivate. (On the Governor’s desk.)

Chief co-sponsor of HB 3149: Provided further opportunities for ex-offenders by allowing those who earned a
degree while incarcerated to be eligible to have their criminal records sealed earlier than otherwise allowed.
(On the Governor’s desk.)

LGBTQ Rights

Primary sponsor of HB 3552: Asserted the rights of transgender people by ensuring that their remains can
be displayed in accordance with their gender identity in life. In response to a case in Idaho of a
transgender woman, born male, whose grandparents after her death dressed her in men’s clothing, used
her male name, etc. (On the Governor’s desk.)

Co-sponsor of HB 217: Protected young people by banning the psychologically manipulative practice
known as “conversion therapy,” a widely discredited method that aims to change an individual’s sexual or
gender identity. (On the Governor’s desk.)

Environment

Co-sponsor of HB 2607: Supported the Clean Jobs Bill, a broad package of proposals that would overhaul
the energy sector in Illinois. The proposal moves Illinois to invest in wind, solar and other renewable energy
instead of subsidising fossil fuel industry. (Awaiting action.)

Primary sponsor of HB 3553: Worked to ban a practice known as “coal rolling” with this bill that would fine
those who deliberately blast out harmful exhaust from their diesel vehicles. (Awaiting action.)

Member of the green caucus

Healthcare

Primary sponsor of SB 818: Defended the rights of people with mental illness by providing further legal
protections to prevent the disclosure of their medical records. (Signed into law.)

Co-sponsor of HB 1: Overhauled the laws around opioids to provide better treatment for heroin and painkiller
addictions. Allows for both EMT’s and pharmacies to use and prescribe opioid antidotes which stop OD’s the
moment they start and save lives. Creates a take-back program for prescription medicine (keeps meds off the
streets) and outlines a new pilot program to fight addiction. (On the Governor’s desk.)

Chief co-sponsor of HB 108: Sought to provide healthcare for every Illinoisan by proposing a universal health
care model for the state. (Awaiting action.)